The City of Buffalo Pulls Two Boneheaded Stunts Ahead of Independence Day, and No One Is Laughing

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As RedState has documented, it's become a thing in some blue cities to celebrate Somali independence day to the extent that the pandering mayors of some of these cities, like Minneapolis Democrat Jacob Frey, have actually learned to speak the language and participate in some of the cultural traditions during celebrations that are held to commemorate the event.

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READ MORE: As Fraud Investigations Roll Through Minnesota, Mayor Frey Tells Somalis 'We See You As Family'

Frey attempts to justify it in part because Minneapolis is home to the largest Somali population in the country. 

The same cannot be said, however, for Buffalo, New York, which has a population of around 280,000 people. The only thing I could find on the number of Somalis living in Buffalo was a 2024 announcement from a state lawmaker on the unveiling of a mural "celebrating the rich culture, resilience, and entrepreneurship of Buffalo’s Somali Bantu community on the West Side." 

"The Somali Bantu refugees, more than 600 of which now reside in Buffalo, arrived in the city in several waves, the first of which took place in the summer of 2003," Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera, a Democrat, noted at the time.

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And yet even with that small number, the Somali flag has been raised every year for four years by local refugee-centered non-profit Heal International in front of Buffalo's City Hall at Niagara Square on July 1, which is the day Somalis have designated as their independence day.

They did it again this year, with local elected officials promoting it. But what made it even more infuriating was that the day before, the city had announced that they wouldn't be putting on a fireworks display on July 4th:

The reason given for a lack of a fireworks display on Independence Day was that "an appropriate site could not be identified that would provide a safe and widely accessible viewing experience for residents. As a result, the City will not be hosting a downtown fireworks display this year."

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It was a blow to residents considering the city's Democrat mayor, Sean Ryan, had previously indicated there would indeed be a display:

The announcement comes as somewhat a surprise due to Ryan telling reporters just weeks ago, "for the first time in a generation the city of Buffalo will be bringing fireworks back to downtown Buffalo," adding, "events like these are important."

Further, it was also reported that the city's official explanation "made no sense" to some "because in its history the city has sponsored fireworks shows at a variety of locations, including Niagara Square, Delaware Park, Lasalle Park, and Riverside Park." 

Needless to say, canceling the July 4th fireworks event and then turning around and honoring Somali independence day has angered some folks to the extent that in the overnight hours, the flagpole was damaged and the Somali flag was stolen.

An alleged threat to blow up City Hall is also being investigated:

Mayor Sean Ryan said it was taken overnight by unknown suspects, who also broke the flag pole's access panel and cut the cable.

[Buffalo Police Commissioner Erika] Shields said the flag was also the reason behind online harassment directed toward city lawmakers, and an alleged violent threat on City Hall. It's a threat she says police are taking seriously.

[...]

The commissioner said the person behind the online threat has been identified as someone who lives outside the City of Buffalo. She added that the department has not yet questioned that individual, but intends to do so soon.

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While I don't condone theft, vandalism, and threats of violence, I also don't condone an American city seeming to show more respect for another country's independence day than our own, especially considering this is America's 250th anniversary. No matter the supposed reasons why the official fireworks display was canceled, this was an absolutely boneheaded, tone-deaf move by the city, a terrible look.

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